The Trail Ahead Addie Thompson, Faith E. Briggs

This week we feature an episode of a podcast we love that is also working toward a more inclusive and community minded outdoor community: The Outside Voices Podcast.

Outside Voices Podcast: https://www.outsidevoicespodcast.com/
Outside Voices on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/outsidevoicespodcast/
Cassandra Lam of Collective Rest & The Cosmos: https://www.collective-rest.com/
Article about The Cosmos in The Lily: https://www.thelily.com/what-does-it-mean-to-come-together-as-asian-american-women-this-group-has-been-seeking-an-answer/

This week we're introducing you to a podcast we love, Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-op Studios podcast hosted by journalist, adventurer and all-around curious person, Shelby Stanger!  Today’s guest in Evelynn Escobar, a changemaker in the outdoor industry who is the founder and CEO of Hike Clerb! Hike Clerb is an intersectional women’s hiking club with the mission of equipping Black, Indigenous, women of color with the tools, education, resources and experiences they need to collectively heal in nature. Faith worked with REI and Evelynn earlier this year to create a short film together, so this episode felt like a perfect fit to share with you!

In this episode Addie and Faith revisit some of their favorite quotes from the last season. They dive into ideas from earlier episodes that have impacted their thinking about how we co-create a more inclusive and welcoming outdoors while caring for our planet and each other. Topics include moving beyond white guilt, holding yourself accountable to action, holding the door open for others, gatekeeping and geotagging, the reality of feeling unsafe in the outdoors and more. The voices you'll hear in this episode include Dr. Carolyn Finney, Dr. Rae-Wyn Grant, Alex Piechowski-Begay, Erin McGrady, Atongular Monique and José González.

Kamilah Journét is a long-distance runner, environmental advocate, and brand marketing strategist. She discovered her love for running in junior high and continued competing in Cross Country and Track at high school and collegiate levels. She joins The Trail Ahead for a conversation about the endless possibilities and experiences the outdoors offers.

The Debrief features Sarah Jacquette Ray author of A Field Guide To Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Cool on a Warming Planet

Growing up in Nebraska, Wyn Wiley (he/him) tried to hide his queer identity and some of his more feminine traits. First by playing small and then trying hard to overachieve, often to the detriment of mental health and well-being.

After finding his identity as a drag queen specializing in all things outdoors, the transformation into Pattie Gonia (she/her) has come with both a lot of freedom and a lot of learning. In this episode questions about shifting privilege and sharing power are front and center.

Now, Pattie refers to herself as a professional homosexual, working in front of the scenes and behind it to work with likeminded outdoor advocates to help co-create a better, more welcoming, more inclusive outdoors.

This episode discusses how the queerness in nature brings her joy, how queer youth are bringing hope for the future, “honoring the try” when it comes to allyship and how to keep putting your best foot forward, even when you stumble, and how to do it as often as possible in fabulous heels.

In today’s episode, Faith is joined by Adam Merry. Adam is an accomplished track and trail runner. He started trail running back in 2017 and has since raced distances, both on road and trail, of up to 100k. In this conversation, Faith and Adam talk about the importance of diversity and representation in running, both in track and trail.